Definitions for character
ˈkær ɪk tərchar·ac·ter

Princeton's WordNet(4.10 / 10 votes)Rate this definition:

1. fictional character, fictitious character, character(noun)

   an imaginary person represented in a work of fiction (play or film or story)

   "she is the main character in the novel"

2. quality, character, lineament(noun)

   a characteristic property that defines the apparent individual nature of something

   "each town has a quality all its own"; "the radical character of our demands"

3. character, fiber, fibre(noun)

   the inherent complex of attributes that determines a persons moral and ethical actions and reactions

   "education has for its object the formation of character"- Herbert Spencer

4. character, role, theatrical role, part, persona(noun)

   an actor's portrayal of someone in a play

   "she played the part of Desdemona"

5. character, eccentric, type, case(noun)

   a person of a specified kind (usually with many eccentricities)

   "a real character"; "a strange character"; "a friendly eccentric"; "the capable type"; "a mental case"

6. character(noun)

   good repute

   "he is a man of character"

7. character, reference, character reference(noun)

   a formal recommendation by a former employer to a potential future employer describing the person's qualifications and dependability

   "requests for character references are all too often answered evasively"

8. character, grapheme, graphic symbol(noun)

   a written symbol that is used to represent speech

   "the Greek alphabet has 24 characters"

9. character(verb)

   (genetics) an attribute (structural or functional) that is determined by a gene or group of genes

10. character(verb)

    engrave or inscribe characters on

Wiktionary(3.20 / 5 votes)Rate this definition:

1. character(Noun)

   A being involved in the action of a story.

2. character(Noun)

   A written or printed symbol, or letter

3. character(Noun)

   A distinguishing feature; characteristic; A complex of mental and ethical traits marking a person or a group.

   A study of the suspect's character and his cast iron alibi ruled him out.

4. character(Noun)

   A moral strength.

   "You may not like to eat liver," said Calvin's father, "but it builds character."

5. character(Noun)

   A person with many notable or eccentric features.

6. character(Noun)

   A complex number representing an element of a finite Abelian group.

7. character(Noun)

   One of the basic elements making up a text file or string: a code representing a printing character or a control character.

8. character(Noun)

   A person or individual, especially one who is unknown or raises suspicions.

   We saw a shady character slinking out of the office with some papers.

9. character(Verb)

   To write (using characters); To describe

Origin: From caracter, from caractere, from character, from χαρακτήρ, from χαράσσω.

Webster Dictionary(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Character(noun)

   a distinctive mark; a letter, figure, or symbol

2. Character(noun)

   style of writing or printing; handwriting; the peculiar form of letters used by a particular person or people; as, an inscription in the Runic character

3. Character(noun)

   the peculiar quality, or the sum of qualities, by which a person or a thing is distinguished from others; the stamp impressed by nature, education, or habit; that which a person or thing really is; nature; disposition

4. Character(noun)

   strength of mind; resolution; independence; individuality; as, he has a great deal of character

5. Character(noun)

   moral quality; the principles and motives that control the life; as, a man of character; his character saves him from suspicion

6. Character(noun)

   quality, position, rank, or capacity; quality or conduct with respect to a certain office or duty; as, in the miserable character of a slave; in his character as a magistrate; her character as a daughter

7. Character(noun)

   the estimate, individual or general, put upon a person or thing; reputation; as, a man's character for truth and veracity; to give one a bad character

8. Character(noun)

   a written statement as to behavior, competency, etc., given to a servant

9. Character(noun)

   a unique or extraordinary individuality; a person characterized by peculiar or notable traits; a person who illustrates certain phases of character; as, Randolph was a character; Caesar is a great historical character

10. Character(noun)

    one of the persons of a drama or novel

11. Character(verb)

    to engrave; to inscribe

12. Character(verb)

    to distinguish by particular marks or traits; to describe; to characterize

Origin: [L., an instrument for marking, character, Gr. , fr. to make sharp, to cut into furrows, to engrave: cf. F. caractre.]

Freebase(4.00 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Character

   A character is a person in a narrative work of arts. Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr, the English word dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of "a part played by an actor" developed. Character, particularly when enacted by an actor in the theatre or cinema, involves "the illusion of being a human person." In literature, characters guide readers through their stories, helping them to understand plots and ponder themes. Since the end of the 18th century, the phrase "in character" has been used to describe an effective impersonation by an actor. Since the 19th century, the art of creating characters, as practised by actors or writers, has been called characterisation. A character who stands as a representative of a particular class or group of people is known as a type. Types include both stock characters and those that are more fully individualised. The characters in Henrik Ibsen's Hedda Gabler and August Strindberg's Miss Julie, for example, are representative of specific positions in the social relations of class and gender, such that the conflicts between the characters reveal ideological conflicts.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Character

   kar′ak-tėr, n. a letter, sign, figure, stamp, or distinctive mark: a mark of any kind, a symbol in writing, &c.: writing generally, handwriting: a secret cipher: any essential feature or peculiarity: nature: (obs.) personal appearance: the aggregate of peculiar qualities which constitutes personal or national individuality: moral qualities especially, the reputation of possessing such: a formal statement of the qualities of a person who has been in one's service or employment: official position, rank, or status, or a person who has filled such: a person noted for eccentricity: a personality as created in a play or novel (Shak. Char′act).—v.t. to engrave, imprint, write: to represent, delineate, or describe.—n. Characterisā′tion.—v.t. Char′acterise, to describe by peculiar qualities: to distinguish or designate.—ns. Char′acterism; Characteris′tic, that which marks or constitutes the character.—adjs. Characteris′tic, -al, marking or constituting the peculiar nature.—adv. Characteris′tically.—adj. Char′acterless, without character or distinctive qualities.—ns. Char′acterlessness; Char′actery, writing: impression: that which is charactered.—In character, in harmony with the part assumed, appropriate, as a Character actor, one who tries to represent eccentricities. [Fr. caractère—L. character—Gr. charaktēr, from charass-ein, to cut, engrave.]

U.S. National Library of Medicine(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Character

   In current usage, approximately equivalent to personality. The sum of the relatively fixed personality traits and habitual modes of response of an individual.

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'character' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #1176

2. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'character' in Written Corpus Frequency: #1567

3. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'character' in Nouns Frequency: #353

How to pronounce character?

1. 

   Alex

   US English

   

   Daniel

   British

   

   Karen

   Australian

   

   Veena

   Indian

How to say character in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of character in Chaldean Numerology is: 8

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of character in Pythagorean Numerology is: 5

Examples of character in a Sentence

1. Booker T. Washington:

   Character is power.

2. Maureen Kiesewetter:

   He was quite a character.

3. Heraclitus:

   Character is our destiny.

4. Heraclitus:

   A man's character is his fate.

5. Jake Gyllenhaal:

   He is a pretty wacky character.

Images & Illustrations of character

Popularity rank by frequency of use